24-Inch Soil Moisture Meter Probe

OutgrowthOutgrowth: Poorly sized battery cage. It’s too large and the AA does not properly fit. The positive side terminal has been bent downward to secure the battery. The problem is, that contact is at the absolute minimum. Thus, operation of the tool has jiggled the connection loose. I have not been able to get more than 4 measurements without it failing.

When it works, it seems to work well. I will have to modify the battery cage to make the tool reliable.

United States on Jun 10, 2021

Guy: The only long probe I've found to get deeper into the rootball area of trees to know that water content. While a lot more expensive than other devices, it's worth it have something that is constantly durable for long term use. I have to run the probe through a couple inches of decorative rock to then slide to the needed depth. I'm sure less durable products would not last against these conditions. The results are incredibly helpful to prevent over and under watering. I was surprised that it said my new pine was holding water very well even the pines were looking dry. I chalk that up to the tree trying to adapt the new environment. Likewise, I found the established pines were very dry even though I had soaked them very well just two days prior. There's no way to really know what's going on more deeply in the soil without this device.

United States on Oct 01, 2016

michaelgm444: What a magnificent piece of engineering. Made in the USA of very high quality, and of very sturdy construction. It's a keeper, and it gives you the confidence that it will last for years and years. It is so simple to use, and it really, really lets you know how much moisture is in your soil. It has a simple analog needle on a scale of 0 to 10, in increments of two. When you probe the soil the needle swings instantaneously. You need to calibrate it when you first get it. Water a plant until the soil will hold no more water. After the standing water has soaked in, and the soil is waterlogged, insert the probe and turn the calibration screw until the needle reads 10. (The screw is hidden under a small removable cap. Replace the cap after calibration. You will need a teeny screwdriver, like a jeweler would use to tighten up someone's eyeglasses.) Once it registers 10 like that, it denotes the maximum amout of water your soil will hold. After that, consult the included manual. For example, for my cedar trees, an evergreen, the manual states that evergreens are happy at 4. From there one would know, obviously, when to and how much to water. The manual has quite a good...

United States on May 22, 2015

PJ: Doesn't seem to properly measure the moisture. It has a screw in the back to adjust, but even though I adjust it accordingly, it seems to give me false readings. For example, I can probe a mound of dry soil and it will measure as if it were moist. I follow the instructions by setting the meter on wet soil, but the dry soil test still makes it fail. If I do it the other way around, set the meter low for the dry soil, it doesn't accurately measure wet soil. Such an expensive tool that I now use as an overpriced metal stick. The only way I have a use for it is as a metal stick. Insert the probe into the soil to be tested, take it out and feel the tip with my fingers. If my fingers feel moist soil on the tip, then I don't need to water. I was looking for the best tool to help with this moisture issue and I was debating whether to buy a metal probe at Home Depot, or to buy this Moisture Meter for 4-5 times the cost of a simple metal stick. I am disappointed since I spent so much on this when I could have just bought a metal stick. It took me a while to write this post, as Amazon sent me an email to do so about 2-3 weeks ago. I wanted to keep trying to see if I can...

United States on May 20, 2015

Phantom Unmasker: This seems to be an excellent moisture monitoring meter. I have been using it on a dozen or more California native plants I put in this spring, and it helps me avoid overwatering and thereby damaging the young plants. The length and sturdiness of the probe enables me to get readings all the way to the bottom of the root balls and at every depth in between that and the surface of the soil.

I have a couple of quibbles about the construction of the device:
1. The meter readout is not solidly mounted in the opening at the top of the device. It dropped down slightly inside the metal box at my slightest touch. I suppose it could be super-glued to keep it in place, but probably not without voiding the warranty.
2. I found the calibration screw very difficult to turn. It requires a very small screwdriver, and getting the driver to engage the screw slot so that I could turn it proved unnecessarily tricky and frustrating..

United States on May 14, 2015